When I purchased my parents home did I purchase the contents as well?

[ShvlDr]

I live in the State of Michigan.

5 years ago my parents moved into a Senior Apartment Complex. At the the time I had an opportunity to move back into the area and I purchased their house from them. It was handled as a standard sale with a mortgage.

My siblings were excited about my purchasing the house because it meant that the house did not have to be cleared out before it could be sold. So I got a house with 50 years worth of stuff in it.

My parents took what they needed for their new place, my siblings picked over the stuff they weren't taking and grabbed what they could.

I moved in and had to clear out the house, I ended up renting a dumpster etc.

Now both parents have passed and we need to do an inventory of everything in my parents estate. According to my sister (executor of the estate) that includes thing my parents left in the house when they moved.

My question is this; when I purchased the house, did I purchase all the contents as well? Do I legally own the thing my parents left in the attic and the basement or is it a part of their estate?

 

[justalayman]

My question is this; when I purchased the house, did I purchase all the contents as well? Do I legally own the thing my parents left in the attic and the basement or is it a part of their estate?

those are going to be some tough questions to answer especially since this was your parents home.

On one side, your parents and other family members may have been under the understanding that the home would simply remain a repository of the family records, heirlooms, etc, and as such had no reason to specify ownership


On the other side, by the laws of abandoned property, you would own it all.


so, how big of a fight are you willing to consider to keep whatever? How estranged are you willing to allow the family to become due to this?

A lot of support for either side is going to be based on your understanding with your parents and family and your actions. One thing that would support the parents estate claim would be if there were any items that were actually not your parents but other family members property that remained and you allowed to remain when you cleared the house. As well, anything that the parents might have discussed or even designated to become the property of one of their children at their death even if left in the house.

edit to add:

I would have to research MI abandonment laws. You may have been required to take certain actions to be able to consider the property as abandoned and eventually claim it. If so and you failed to take those actions, you may not be able to claim that property now.

 

[anteater]

Is the sister being adversarial in this? Or just taking here duties as executor way too rigidly?

Did you retain any of the stuff? Or, between the siblings and the dumpster, was it all disposed of?

Was there anything of real value - that is, monetarily rather than sentimental?

 

[curb1]

I would suggest that the personal property became yours. The point of this situation is to keep the estate of the folks simple for accounting reasons. Claim the "stuff" as yours and simplify sisters job.